Electrical heating-pad.



G. A. SEALER. ELEGTBIOAL HEATING PAD. APPLIOATIOH rnnn rmms, 1910.

Patented NOV. 12, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

C. A. SEALER. ELECTRICAL HEATING PAD.

APPLICATION rum) mums, 1910.

1 ,O44,270, Patented Nov. 12, 1912. 1

2 SHEET8BHEBT Z.

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ELECTRICAL HEATING-PAD.

Specification of Letters Patent.

-. Application filed February Q, 19m. Serial 110. 648,485.

- To all whom may concern:

Be it known that L'CLARENon A. SEALER, a citizen of the United States, residing at Wan un, count of Fond du Lac, and State of isconsin, ful Im rovements in Electrical Heating- Pads, 0 which the following is a specification.

My invention relatesto improvements in electrical heatin pads.

The objects 0 my invention are to provide means whereby the heat may be antomaticall controlled within certain limits establishe by manual'wegulation. Also to provide an improved form of pad in which separate heating coils may be insulated from each other, not only by the insulatin material coverin ducting wire the several strands 0 conut also by sub-divisions or partitions in the pad itself, the pad being ivided into compartments. Also to provide improved means for manually regulating the heat of the pad and to provide a pad having greater flexibility than has heretobeen secured in devices of this charactor, it bein my purpose to provide a pad which is su ciently flexible to be wrapped about any member of the body, such as an arm, leg, or even the finger of a patient.

In the following description reference is had to the accompanying drawings, in

Figural is aplan view of my improved ad with one corner "of the outer covering roken away to'show the lines of stitchin which connect the interior walls, and wit the insulation also, broken from the conductors to show their connection with the manual heat regulator.- Fig. 2 is a plan view of the ad with the outer covering removed and t e inner coverings broken away to show the conducting wires. Fig.3 is a 7 cross sectional view, drawn on line w-w of .10, 11, 12 and 1 2. Fig. 4 is an enlar ed detail view of theswitchor manual regu ator. Fig. 5 is a view of the right hand end of the device shown in Fig. 4. n Fig. 6'is a view of the left hand end of the same. Fig. 7 is an axial sectional view of the devicejshown in Fig.

4. Fig. 8 a sectional view, left hand section, drawn on line 31-31 of Fig. 7. Fig.

9 is a sectional showing the right hand section. Figs. are diagrammatic views indicating the various, adjustments of the switch members upon each other and their ave mvented new and use,

view on the same line,

relation to the electrical circuits. Fig. 14. is a detail view of the thermostat or automatic heat controlling device, and Fig. 15 is an axial sectional view of the same.

Like parts are identified by the same reference characters throughout the severe? views.

The pad preferabl has an outer covering A of rubber, or rub or cloth, and an inner covering B of linen, cotton or other suitable fabric, which coverin A and B inclose the body of the pad. T e body'of the pad is composed of non-combustible fabric, such as asbestos cloth or fiber, which'oifers sufficient resistance to the heat of the coils to cause a distribution of the heat throughout electrical conductor is arrangedin'a series of loops 1, extending longitudinally of the pad between the walls D and E, and another conductor'is similarl arran ed with loops 2 between the walls and These conductin wires with loops 1 and 2 are so arrange as to extend substantially parallel to each other from one end of the pad to the other, and are separated by longitudinal lines of stitchin 3, which connect the three walls D, E and with each other, and bind .them together between the conductin wires. The several loops in each of the con ucting wires are alternatel broad and narrow in form, each narrow nop of conducting wire being disposed between one of the open loo s of t e wire, as best shown in Fig. 2, an each of the narrow loops of the wire 'being disposed between the open 100 s of the wire. It will therefore beobserv that all of the strands or lengths of the wires 1 and 2 are not only separated from each other by the lines'of stitching 3, but'that the wires are also separated from each other by the intermediate wall 3, so that it is not necessary to cover, the several strands individually with insulation, in order to prevent short circuiting.

Each wire forms a complete circuit through the pad so that said wires may be used either separately or jointly for heating urposes. These two wires, above and beow the intermediate 'wall 3, are extended into a connecting cable, in which they form the strands 6 and 7. Ordinary covered or insulated wire is used, and they are therefore electrically independent. The several Patented Nov. 12, 1912.

the fabric or body walls D, E and F. An

the thermostatic bar 9 in a plug 11, which is wrapped in mica 12 or other suitable insulating material and inserted in the casing 10. A set screw 18 has threaded bearing in the plug 11 and bears upon. the mica opposite an opening 14 in the casing through which the screw extends without contact withthe casing. The pressure of, thescrew upon the wrapping 12 causes the plug to bind upon the other side of the wrapping and holds it and the barl) rigidly in o'sition. The bar 9 is normally in contac with a "contactscrew 15, which has threaded bearingin the casing and is electrically'connected with a conductor 16, but when thehat' passes a predetermined point, thebar9 moves away from the contact screw and breaks the circuit. I"

It will be observed that while the" ends of the wires 6 and 7 at one side of the pad are connected in common with the single wire 8, the other ends of the wires 6 and 7 are; ex tended into the cable as separate wires, so that these conductors may be separately energized. The circuits are manually closed by a switch which I have specially devised for this purpose, and which carries connecting contacts in two cylindrical members G and H, connected end to end by an axial bolt H" and adapted for relative rotation upon each other. The mam conductors 4 and 5 are connected with the contacts carried by the member G. The separated ends .of the wires 6 and 7 and the wire16 are connected with contacts carried by the memher H. f

Four contact devices are carried by each or" these switch members, and they preferably consist of small metallic tubes socketed in the material composing said-members, the ends of said tubes beingexpanded to receive balls H", which serve as a conducting medium between the contacts of the respective members, and also operate as anti-friction devices. The body of each member, G and H, is composed of non-conducting materia The wire 16 is connected with the contact device or tube I, the wire-7 with the tube I and the Wire 6 with the tube I The fourth tube a is unconnected, electrically, with the conductors of the heating pad- The main conductor 4 is connected with the tubular contact device J and the conductor 5 with the tube J. The latter is provided with 2.

The operation of the manually actuated A switch is as follows: Normally, the contact device J is in registry with-the dead contact 2' in switchmember H, no heating circuit being then established. By a one-quarter relative turn of member G, to bring contact J into registry with contact I, an electrical connection with both of the wires 6 and 7 is established through the conductor 16, the thermostat, and the conductor 8. The circuit willthen be completed, through both wires 6 and 7, for the contacts K and J (connected by segment M) will be isregistry with contacts 'I and I with which the 4 other ends of these wires are separately and respectively connected, thus placing these wires in circuit with main conductor 5. (Fig. 11) Anotherquarter tilrn of member G relatively to member -H brings contact J into registry with contact I and through it with conductor 6. (Fig. 12). The other end of conductor 6 then connects through the thermostat conductor 16 and contact I" with contact K, thus completing the circuit of conductor 6, segment M and contact J. to main conductor 5. (Fig. 13). Another quarter turn ofthe switch members brings contact J into registry with contact I and conductor 7, thus completing the circuit through-the thermostat, wire 16, contacts I" and J to main conductor 5. (Fig. 13).

The member G is provided with a projection Q on its outer surface and the member H is provided with projections R, R and R. There is but one projection R and when the projection Q is axially alined therewith, the circuit of the heating conductor 7 will be closed as above explained. There are two projections R and when the projection Q is alined with these, the circuit of heating conductor 6 will be closed. There are three projectionsR" with which the conductor Q may be alined, whereupon the circuit of both conductors 6 and 7 will be closed. The neutral position is midway between the projection R and the three projections R", and this may be indicated by a depression or recess in the member H at S, but it is not necessary to indicate this position, since it will be understood that it is one step beyond the projection R and the several steps in the ad ustment of the switch can be felt by the user, owingto the jar caused by the balls in snappin into the sockets of the member G under file tension dinary of the springs in the sockets of member H. Byhaving the projections R, R and R" differ in number, the user can readily ascertain which of the conducting wires are included in the circuit, the fact of accurate registery being ascertained by' the shock of the balls seating in the sockets and also by the fact that a greater resistance is then afforded to further rotation. The user may,

therefore, accurately/determine the adjust two sets of heating coils within the pad,

and the arrangement of these coils in such a manner that the wires do not cross and are kept electrically independent, not only by or inary insulation, but by the intermediate or partition layer 'E. Owing to the fact that these pads are folded in various directions about; the body and limbs of a patient, it is necessary that short circuits and the crossing of wires be wholly prevented. By separating the coils and providing a separate pocket for each turn of each coil, I attain these objects without. materially increasing the cost of construction over that of the orads in'which only a single set of pockets 1s provided.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Let'- ters Patent, is-

1. An electrically heated flexible pad, comprising a set of sheets of fabric stitched together along parallel lines and comprising outer and intermediate layers, heating conductors disposed between the intermediate and outer layers and separated from each other by the intermediate layer, said conductors being disposed in loops having parallel strands separated by said lines of stitching; feeding conductors, and a manually controlled switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting the heating conductors with the feeding conductors.

electrically heated flexiblepad, com

prising a set of sheets of fabric stitched together alongparallel lines and comprising outer and intermediate layers, heating conductors disposed between the intermediate and outer layers and separated from each other by the intermediate layer, said conductors being disposed in loops having parallel strands separated by said lines of stitching; feeding conductors, and a manually controlled switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting the heating conductors with the feedin conductors, together with a thermostatic circuit breaker also controlling the circuits through the heating conductors.

3. An electrically heated flexible pad, comprising 'a set of sheetsof fabric stitched together along parallel lines and comprising outer and intermediate layers, heating conductors disposed between the intermediate and outer layers' and separated from each other by the intermediate layer, said conductors being disposed in loops having parallel strands separated by said lines of stitching;

feeding conductors, and a manually controlled switch for electrically connecting and disconnecting the heating conductors from the feeding conductors, to ether with a thermostatic circuit breaker a so controlling the circuits through the heating conductors, said thermostatic circuit breaker bein longitudinally disposed between .two of said lines of stitching.

4. An electrically heated flexible pad, comprising a set of sheets of fabric, comprising outer and intermediate layers, heating conductors located res ectively above and below the intermediate s eet, and arranged in alternate broad and narrow loops and with the narrow loops of each conductor interposed between the sides of the broad loops of the other, but on the opposite side of t e intermediate sheet, means for connecting each of said loops with a source of electrical energy, and lines of stitching connecting the sheets with'each other between the strands of th several loops.

In' testimony whereof I aflix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

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